Insulating and joint filler material



Aug. 7, 1951 R. E. HUGGINS INSULATING AND JOINT F'ILLER MATERIAL Filed Oct. 22, 1949 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 ENT o-FEICE INSULATING ANDjJoINT FILLER MA'J'IERiAi'l g., Robert E. Huggins, Palos Heights, Ill., assignor'to Servicised Products Corporation, a corporation of Illinois v Application octnberz'z, 1949, serial N0.1`23,o09 6 claims. V(o1. 2Go-75o) This invention relates vtohan insulating -and joint ller material, and relates particularlyto such material comprising an intimate mixture of cork particles and an asphaltic material.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an insulating and joint ller material comprising, by volume, about -9 parts of cork particles substantially all of whichlhave a maximum diameter of about 1/8-1/2 inch and 3-5 Vpartsof an asphaltic material having a meltingpoint-ofN about 18o-250 F. ,1 A

Another object of the invention is to provide such material wherein substantiallyy all of the cork particles have a maximum diameter between about lA-lq inch and the asphaltic material has a melting point between about 200 and 220 F.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a material wherein the asphaltic material includes up to about 5% by weight of a rubbery material.

' A still further object of the invention is the provision of such a material wherein the cork particles have been steam treated so as to have a specific gravity less than that of the untreated cork.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmetary plan View of one em.

bodiment of the invention showing a side cover sheet partially removed;

' Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

The insulatingand joint filler material of the invention can be molded in the form of a ilat body to the shape shown in the drawings so as to bey usable as a joint ller strip in concrete roads and the like. When' used as a joint nller strip, the molded strip is ordinarily placed in the joint so as to extend to a point below the top comprises an intimate mixture of cork particles and an asphaltic binder material. Substantially all of thecork partclespreferably havea maxlinurn diameter between about 1/8 incha'nd about 1/2 inch; in'other words', each particle has a maximum transverse ,diir'iension between and includv ing .these limits. vvIrrthe preferred constructioni substantially all the cork particles have a'maXi-- mum diameter from 1A; to .1/2 inch. These 'cork' particles arepreferably treated with steam, either saturated or supersaturated, to remove at least part ofthe natural cork resins frointhe interior of the particles. `During the steam treatment some of theV resins are driven ofi, and most of of the joint. The width of the joint is preferably slightly greater than the thickness of the strip. The top portion of the joint above the strip may then be at least partially filled with an adhesive composition which adheres to thevsides of the joint to seal the joint and prevent the ingress of water, dirt, sand and other foreign materials. The new composition is particularly useful as a joint ller material as it can be compressed by expansion of the adjacent concrete slabs without substantial extrusion and on contraction of the concrete slabs will recover more than 80% and as much as 92% or more. Thus, the joint filler material always substantiallylls the joint the remainder,movesiroznthe interior of the particles lto the outergfsufaces thereof. stealmtreatmnt reduces the apparent specific gravity of the corki'iarticle's over that of the untreated particlesf particles ordinarily haveA an apparent specic gravity between about 12.9 and 14.5 4poundsper cubic foot.' The treatment with steam reduces this specic gravity;A thus, Ain one embodiment of the invention wherethe speoiiic gravity of` fthe untreated particles was 13.5 pounds per cubicfoot,

treatment with steam resultedY in a specic grav-, ity of 9 pounds per cubicioot, or a 33%9/3 're-f duction. f

The asphaltic material used is preferably an.

asphalt,A or a mixturegfof asphalts, that has a,

melting, pointbetw'een`l807250 F., and prefer ably between y20G-220" F.""sphaltic materialsy of course, 'do not have a, sharp melting point, but? softeny and become .pourable onincreases in tem-- perature. These melting point ranges, as indi-` cated byithestanda'rd ball and ring test, are the? temperatures at which' the asphaltic material is. suiciently fluid to bereadily poured, If desired.

the asphaltio material'can contain vup to about.

5% rubbery material based'on the weight ofthe asphaltic and rubbery' materials. `This rubbery material may beeither reclaim or crude rubben. orfmay'befany of thel well knovszn synthetic rub-1E The ordinary untreated,

assaut bers such as butadiene-styrene copolymers and butadiene-acrylonitrile polymers. When reclaim rubber is employed, it preferably contains from 30-50% by weight of rubber hydrocarbon. This added rubbery material is not necessary to the invention, but may be used to increase the elasticity ofthe asphaltic composition.

In making the insulating and' joint ller material, preferably only enough asphaltic material' is employed to coat each of the cork particles and provide thin layers of material between the cork particles. Preferably, the new insulating and joint filler material contains from 5-9 parts by volume of cork particles and 3-5 parts' by volume of the asphaltic material.

The embodiment shown in the drawings illustrates a Joint ller strip of the'. type discussed above. is in the form of a board having substantially' parallel sides covered by' sheets Il of felt, paper or the like that have preferably been saturated with asphalt. The body ofthe board comprisescork particles l2 coated and separated by relatively thin layers of asphaltic material I3. Although in Fig. 1 the outer cork particles are shown exposed for purposes of illustration, these outer cork particles are preferably covered with the asphaltic material as illustrated in Fig. 2. The sheet I0 or slab may be formed in any desired length and width on a web machine or the like and rolled to the desired thickness while the' asphaltic material is in a heated condition so that it will be plastic and adherent. The slab may then be cooled and cut into strips of any desired length and Width. The side covering sheets il are not absolutely necessary, but are employed because of the adhesive nature of the asphaltic material. These sheets, which are preferably impregnated with the asphalt material, readily adhere to the bodyV of the strip:V

In preparing the new insulating and joint filler material of this invention, the asphaltic material is heated to or above its melting point' so that it was sufficient fluidity tov be readily poured and stirred. The heated asphaltv and the corkv particles are thoroughly mixed together' until the" cork particles are uniformly distributed and are' each coated with the asphalt material. As was pointed out above, the mixture can then be molded in the form of slabs to produce a joint filler strip. 'I'he material can also be applied in thin layers to a roof or other supporting structure, if desired. In oneY embodiment of the invention, 'I` parts by volume of cork particles having a maxi-` mum diameter of 1/4-1/2 inch were used with 4 parts by volume of'asphalt. Each of the corkA particles was covered by the asphalt andfall cork* particles were separatedby thin layers" of the" asphalt as illustrated in the embodiment shown" in the drawings.

The coating of the cork particles with' the asphaltic material seals the air cells w1thin`the cork. As the cork particles'are preferably'relatively large, the unit area of surface'of the particles is small per unit volume. 'Ihis together with the sealing of the'air cells" improves the' recovery of the material after it has beenco'mpressed. Thus, the new material has a recovery that is between more than 80% and'as high as 92%, or greater. This recovery is' further enhanced by using steam treatedA cork'particles of the type discussed above so that at least som'e of the natural cork resins are removed, at least from the interior of the particles, and the ap- In this embodiment, the filler strip I0 reduced. This steam treatment gives the cork particles a greater resiliency than that exhibited by the untreated particles.

If desired, filler materials such as cotton seed hulls, dicalite, ground corn cobs, bentonite, or the like, or a combination of these or other like materials may be employed. These fillers are preferably absorbent to the asphalt so that the asphaltic material penetrates these materials and does not merely coat them as is true of the cork particles. These filler materials give increased strength to the insulating and joint filler material of this invention and also further reduce any tendency of the asphaltic material to extrude under pressure. In general, this extrusion is avoided so that after pressure is removed the material will return to its original dimensions. When these ller materials are employed, the amount of cork particles used should be reduced correspondingly. In general, these fillerswill be .used up to a maximum of about 15% by Weight of the cork particles.

In preparing the new insulating and joint filler material, the ingredients may be mixed in a steam jacketed mixer of conventional type, with these ingredients including the asphaltic material and being maintained at a temperature above the melting point of the asphalt. The mixing isv continued until a uniform mixture is obtained.

Although the new material is useful as an insulating and a' joint filler material, it also hasv many other uses because of its waterproof character and its high degree of recovery after being compressed. As was pointed out above, this re-' covery is' more than 80% and as' much as 92%l or greater. Thus, the new material may be Vused as a cushioning under floorsY of wood or the like, particularly floors such as Vare used in gymnasiums and that are subjected to impact. When the materialis usedunder such floors, its Waterproof character prevents dampnessfrom destroying the wood. The new material also servesas a shock absorberv to absorb heavy impacts.` As the'material has a high degree of recovery, the floors will not sag after longperiods of usefand will preserve the flooring from' damage due to impacts. K

As the new material has a large ratio of sealed air cells in the cork particles, it may also be used as an insulation material. Thus, the new material may be molded as pipe coverings or used'in flat sheets to insulate refrigeration' equipment or the-like.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding `on-ly',and no unneces=' sary limitation's'should' be' understood' therefrom,

for some 'modifications' will be Vobvious Vt' those" skille'din the art.

VI claim:

i. A preformed ins'ulating'and joint'iiller material having a high recovery and low retained extrusion when compressed and released, comparticles" to 'coat the surfaces thereof without;y

substantial penetration' and serve as a binder.

claim 1 wherein the cork particles are between ""Tf" about $4 and 1A inch in maximum diameter.

3. The insulating and joint iiller material of claim 1 wherein the asphaltic material contains up to about 5% by weight of the asphaltic material of a rubbery material selected from the class consisting of reclaimed natural rubbers, crude natural rubbers, butadiene-styrene copolymers and butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers.

4. The insulating and joint liller material of claim 1 wherein the cork particles have been steam treated to a specic gravity less than that of the untreated cork particles.

5. A preformed insulating and joint ller Inaterial having a high recovery and low retained extrusion When compressed and released, com

prising, by Volume, about 5 to 9 parts of cork particles and about 3 to 5 parts of an asphaltic material having a melting point of about 180 to 250 F., the cork particles being substantially 20 the cork particles to coat the surfaces thereof without substantial penetration and serve as a binder.

6. The insulating and joint filler material of claim 5 wherein the asphaltic material contains up to about 5% by weight of the asphaltic material of a rubbery material selected from the class consisting of reclaimed natural rubbers, crude natural rubbers, butadiene-styrene copolymers and butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers.

ROBERT E. HUGGINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Y Date 264,814 Wood Sept. 19, 1882 647,112* Pearson Apr. 10, 1900 1,691,234 Fischer Nov. 13, 1928 1,870,166 Bond Aug. 2, 1932 2,431,384 Fischer Nov. 25, 1947 2,454,506 Fischer Nov. 23, 1948 

1. A PREFORMED INSULATING AND JOINT FILLER MATERIAL HAVING A HIGH RECOVERY AND LOW RETAINED EXTRUSION WHEN COMPRESSED AND RELEASED, COMPRISING, BY VOLUME, ABOUT 5 TO 9 PARTS OF CORK PARTICLES AND ABOUT 3 TO 5 PARTS OF AN ASPHALTIC MATERIAL HAVING A MELTING POINT OF ABOUT 180* TO 250* F., THE CORK BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF PARTICLES BELOW ABOUT 1/2 INCH AND ABOVE AND ABOUT 1/2 INCH IN MAXIMUM DIAMETER AND THE ASPHALTIC MATERIAL BEING INTIMATELY MIXED WITH THE CORK 